Fruition, Finally

I didn't want to post pre-maturely. I wanted to make sure there was complete mastery and it wasn't dumb luck or a one-time thing. But for almost 3 weeks now,

KENDRICK HAS BEEN POOPING ON THE POTTY!!!!!

We are out of our "hard season."  I know it is really weird to post a blog on something like this, and no, there will be no picture associated although I have them.  But, this is a really big deal.  It's been a long 9 months.  We started this process last spring with the push from his pre-school teacher.  I knew he wasn't ready, but she insisted.  By fall he finally mastered #1, but the poop drug on, and on, and on.  Stephen read on the internet that there are kids that never do it on the potty and not because they can't.  They choose not too.  (Scary!)  We moved to underwear and sometime in November he began having 3-8 bowel movements a day the size of Hershey Kisses.  Not so sweet.  

By January, I was worn out and besides praying about it every now and then, it became a daily prayer.  Mid-January, I felt the need to seek medical advice.  The doctor decided he was constipated and meds followed.  It was not a pretty week following, especially with  Dad in Vegas.  Many tears were shed by all. I knew it was bad when he said to me, "Mommy, take a deep, deep breath."   But, a week and a half later, a bag of gummy worms and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese, he was making major strides toward mastery.  

If you ask him what his "high" is for the day now, he will say "pooping on the potty" 90% of the time.  He's proud of himself and I am extremely proud of him as well.  It wasn't until I gave it completely over to God realizing that I could do nothing and that it had to be Kendrick's decision did anything ever happen.  Yet again proof of His sovereign control over every thing, everywhere and He has perfect timing.  It was His timing to show me that I am not in control at all. 

So, our final "Hip-hip-hooray!" was this afternoon when we picked Cavett up after school and headed to Lewisville to play at Going Bonkers. 

Congratulations, Kendrick.  You are my very big boy now.  Now, you can stop growing up!

White as Snow

I'm sure most have experienced it at some point or another.  A snowfall.  A blanket of snow that covers your whole world--every little dark colored thing surrounding you.  It's beautiful.  It's God's beauty.  And then when the sun peeks out from behind all those low snowy clouds, it's blinding.  The snow is so white that it is dazzling, sparkling and literally blinding.  It is so white that it glows and radiates more light. 

It's just like God's love for us. 


"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."  Isaiah 1:18
 

He will take our dirty lives, our sin stained hearts, red as crimson, like Kendrick's coat and make it white as snow.  Only God can make the weather raindown beautiful, individualized snowflakes and in the same way only God can cleanse our sin when we confess to Him.  We are covered with a blanket of snow--His forgiveness. 
 
"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7 

Not only will we be white as snow, but if we let God do the cleansing and accept His love, doing it His way, we will be WHITER than snow.  After seeing all this snow from the week and then the Saturday sunshine on it, I can't even begin to think how it gets whiter than white. 
 
I love all the references to the hyssop branch cleansing as well.  If you don't know, it was used according to God’s instructions to apply the blood of the Passover lamb around the doors of the houses of those that wanted the angel of death to pass by their household just before Israel was released by Egypt in Exodus 12:21-22.  Also it signified the cleansing of a leper or a house of a disease.  Not to mention it is the same branch with which a sponge of vinegar was held up to Jesus' lips as he was taking our punishment for us by dying on the cross. 
 

There are no references to bubbles, but I think if there had been bubble baths at the time, He just might have said bubbles instead of snow, as well!

Second Snowing of 2011

On Tuesday we were iced in. The roads were "treacherous." The temps stayed well below freezing and everything was closed......for 4 days! On the fourth day we were surprised with another 6 inches of snow on top of the ice. It was nice to have some extended family time and it wasn't too bad, but I think we are kinda done with the cold.  And, we need actual snow gear.  Of course as soon as I buy it, it won't snow for several years.  We also realized that we need to wait a few more years until we consider going snow skiing or at least go during Spring Break when it's warmer.

We did get Cavett's room painted.

 The favorite pasttime is eating the snow.

 We bought a new inner tube for this snow fall.

 But the inner tube was quickly popped. 

 Our backyard pet nusance showed his hippipty-hop foot prints.

 The icicles were massive and some on the pool are still lingering 3 days after the thaw. 

 By far, the highlight of the week was making snow ice cream. 

It just doesn't get any better!

Home Schooling

I might just could do this.....maybe....when Kendrick is older. 

School was cancelled today due to "severe and treacherous road and sidewalk conditions" and it's closed tomorrow as well.  We haven't left the house and have been in our pj's all day.  However, that doesn't mean that Cavett hasn't learned anything. 

Writing:  Cavett finished writing all his thank-you notes from his birthday.
Geography:  He chewed on his apple until it was the shape of the United States and we talked about where certain states were.
Reading:  He spent almost 1 hour reading his new Toy Story 3 story book with chapters.  Ok, and he watched one "Between the Lions."

Math:  We took a square piece of paper and folded it into halves over and over, talking about fractions and finding the pattern established when folding into halves. 

Art:  Made snowflakes out of the squares.

Religion:  I taught him my BSF lesson for tomorrow.

Music:  We played and sang "Sally Go Round the Sun"

Science:  With Dad, the boys made a ballon rocket ship on a string between two chairs and made hypotheses about different shaped balloons and how if they attached differently it effects the speed and distance. 

Instruction Following and Spatial Relations: Put together a 370 piece Toy Stoy 3 Lego set

Spelling: Played Bananagrams while waiting for dinner.

I think that is a full day's work and I didn't even plan it this way.  It just happened.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be more of the same and we won't have too much "stir craziness!"

6 Year Old Perks

As a 6 year old in the Hill family, you are awarded one perk for the year and only that year.  You get to climb up the laundry shoot at Grandmama's house in Grand Saline.  Even though Cavett had been running fever the previous day, he was dead set on going to Grand Saline on Saturday to do just that.  It was THE first thing he did as soon as we got out of the car. 

It's a big laundry shoot.  Fairly wide.  In fact, I think I could have stood in the middle of it and not felt too claustrophobic.  The unfortunate part was that Cavett was still a bit small for it.  Dad gave him a little help with one foot pushing him up, but he still wasn't quite able to make it.  He'll be able to try again about Spring Break, and maybe he'll have grown a bit by then.  

The biggest foul of the weekend was that diesel  was accidentally poured into the Pug.  Stephen suspected it, but didn't realize it until after it was loaded down with 2 cords of wood we had just split it the woods.  Stphen used the tractor to puch it out backwards until we got to the pasture.  Stephen also saved the day and siphoned it out.  He only got a little in his mouth........  :P

We also had many enjoyable moments in the big Catalpa tree reading.  Kendrick sat for at least 20 minutes reading whereas Cavett spent about an hour and a half total during the weekend up there reading. 

Precious times.  

A New Title

Something has really been eating away at me for a few months now.  But, I just didn't know what I wanted to do about it.  It's my title.

You see, I have been in a tough "season."  There have been some not so "happy" happenings in the last 4 months.  That's a whole other blog for a day to come, hopefully soon, but I digress. 

My title of my blog was just not right.  I mean, yes I am very "happy" in my life and where God has taken me--my life,  my marriage, my kids, my relationship with Him.  But, stuff happens or literally for me sh** happens.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."  James 1:2

At Christmas, I saw on facebook a quote that really got me thinking more about it.  It was something like, "Happiness is what happens to you, joy is an attitude of the heart that is God given."   We can pursue happiness all we what, but it is how we interpret what happens to us that decides our happiness.  Joy is something that lasts; happiness is something that is temporary.  When happiness fades away, joy remains. Joy is something that is bigger than me and my current circumstances.  Joy brings us peace in the middle of a storm.  Joy is something that God deposits into us through the Holy Spirit.

I guess I had been using the words happy and joy as synonyms.  I know what I meant, but I also want others to understand this isn't something superficial.  It's God-given and God-centered. 

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights."  Habakkuk 3:17-19

So in keeping with the "Kid Church Song" theme, the new title is......

i've got the joy down in my heart

Well Celebrated

This weekend was all about Cavett.  His birth and years passed were celebrated to the greatest height, even if there were some camera snafoos.

We were blessed to have Nana with us the whole weekend!  That was a treat in itself.  And Stephen's mom was able to join us for the party too!  Saturday morning we had the traditional pancake breakfast on the birthday plate, but the new camera card that we had just bought wouldn't hold but one picture.  When we took it back to the store to exchange it, we realized we hadn't downloaded the one picture, so thus, no picture.

Afterwards, Nana went with Cavett and me to watch him have his Karate lesson and get his birthday spankings.

The day continued with a birthday party at ASI gymnastics with several of his school friends, a couple of church friends and a couple of family friends.

 I think he really had a blast!  The favors were many different types of gum.  It's been our standing rule that you can't have gum until you are 6 at house.  (Just because I don't want to clean it off carpets and hair, and such...)

That evening we went to dinner at Cavett's choice of restaurants which was Chuy's.  Jonny and Amber joined us to celebrate Jonny's birthday as well-Jan.26th. 

That evening all the Dents enjoyed playing Cavett's game, Bananagrams, from Nana for about 2 hours after he went to bed!  It's a kind of Scrabble played without a board making up your own crosswords, but competing against other players in speed.

Sunday was "clean up and put away day" after church and part of his present form Mom and Dad was to be able to organize his Legos.  Dad installed shelves in his room and it is actually beginning to feel like a real boys room.  I have also promised that we would paint in the next couple of weeks so that we all don't have to look at the "9" that Kendrick wrote on his wall with sharpie last year. 

So, I think he enjoyed his weekend and totally didn't want to go to school today.  Who could blame him with all the cool stuff he got?